The GRE Analytical Writing section is a crucial part of the GRE test, designed to measure critical thinking, analytical writing skills, and the ability to articulate complex ideas clearly and effectively. In this article, we will explore expert tips to help you excel in the GRE Analytical Writing section, including strategies, sample questions, and examples to guide your GRE preparation.
Understanding GRE Analytical Writing
What is analytical writing in the GRE?
The GRE Analytical Writing section now consists of a single "Analyze an Issue" task. This update, effective from September 22, 2023, simplifies the section by removing the previous "Analyze an Argument" task.
The "Analyze an Issue" task requires test-takers to articulate and support their perspective on a given topic within a 30-minute time frame. This change aims to streamline the test and better accommodate the preferences of the current generation of test-takers.
Current GRE Analytical Writing Section
Task Type: "Analyze an Issue"- Duration: 30 minutes
- Objective: You are required to develop a well-reasoned argument on a given topic, presenting your perspective and supporting it with evidence and reasoning.
- Skills Tested: Critical thinking and analytical writing
- Abilities required: Articulate and support complex ideas, construct arguments, and sustain a focused and coherent discussion.
- Toos For writing: ETS basic word processor with functionalities: Insert text, delete text, cut and paste, and undo the previous action. Spellchecker and grammar checker are not available.
- This task presents an opinion on an issue and instructions on how to respond. You’re required to evaluate the issue, consider its complexities, and develop an argument with reasons and examples to support your views.
To make things clearer for the test takers, the ETS (Educational Testing Service, which administers the GRE) provides a pool of issue topics for the analytical writing section. When you take the test, you will be presented with one of the issues from the list.
Each issue topic consists of an issue statement or statements followed by specific task instructions that tell you how to respond to it. The wording of some topics in the test might vary slightly from what is presented here. Additionally, there may be multiple versions of some topics with similar or identical wording but with different task instructions. Therefore, it is very important to read your test topic and its specific task directions carefully and respond to the wording as it appears in the actual test.
Look at the pool of GRE Essay writing topics provided by the ETS.
Here is an issue from the pool of topics
The best way to teach is to praise positive actions and ignore negative ones.
Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim. In developing and supporting your position, be sure to address the most compelling reasons and/or examples that could be used to challenge your position.
Before taking the GRE General Test, it's crucial to review the strategies, sample topics, sample essay responses with rater commentary, and the scoring guide for the Analytical Writing tasks. This preparation will give you a deeper understanding of how raters evaluate essays and the elements they're looking for in a strong response.
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Time Management Strategies
Effective time management is essential for the GRE Analytical Writing section. You have a 30-minute time limit for each essay, so it's important to allocate your time wisely. Here are some tips to help you make the most of the time you have:
Understand the Prompt (2-3 minutes): Carefully read the issue and the specific instructions. Ensure that you fully understand what is being asked before you start planning your response.
Plan Your Response (4-5 minutes): Spend a few minutes brainstorming and outlining your essay. Determine your position on the issue, identify the main points you want to make, and consider relevant examples you can use to support your arguments. Consider various perspectives to outline your essay easily. Mind mapping can serve as one of the tools to ideate.
Compose Your Essay (20-22 minutes): Write your essay according to your plan. Focus on clearly presenting your ideas and supporting them with reasons and examples. Ensure that each paragraph transitions smoothly to the next.
Review and Revise (2-3 minutes): Save a few minutes at the end to review your essay. Check for any obvious spelling or grammatical errors. While a few minor mistakes won't significantly impact your score, serious and persistent errors can detract from the overall effectiveness of your writing and lower your score accordingly.
Understanding Rater Evaluation
GRE raters evaluate essays based on several key elements. By familiarizing yourself with these criteria, you can tailor your writing to meet their expectations:
Clarity and Coherence: Your essay should present ideas clearly and logically. Ensure that your argument flows smoothly from one point to the next and that each paragraph is well-organized.
Development and Support: Develop your argument thoroughly, using relevant reasons and examples to support your points. Each example should be connected to your main argument.
Control of Language: Demonstrate effective control of language, including appropriate grammar, syntax, and vocabulary. Avoid frequent errors that can distract from your message.
The GRE raters scoring your response are not looking for a "right" answer — in fact, as far as they are concerned, there is no correct position to take. Instead, the raters are evaluating the skill with which you address the specific instructions and articulate and develop an argument to support your evaluation of the issue.
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GRE Analytical Writing Score Guide
The GRE Analytical Writing section is scored on a scale from 0 to 6, with half-point increments. Essays are evaluated based on:
- Task Response: How well you address the specific instructions.
- Argument Development: The clarity and depth of your argument and supporting evidence.
- Organization: The logical flow and coherence of your essay.
- Language Use: Your command of written English, including grammar and vocabulary.
- The statements below describe, for each score level, the overall quality of analytical writing demonstrated.
|
Score |
Description |
|
6 & 5.5 |
Sustains insightful, in-depth analysis of complex ideas; develops and supports main points with logically compelling reasons and/or highly persuasive examples; is well-focused and well-organized; skillfully uses sentence variety and precise vocabulary to convey meaning effectively; demonstrates superior facility with sentence structure and usage but may have minor errors that do not interfere with meaning. |
|
5 & 4.5 |
Provides generally thoughtful analysis of complex ideas; develops and supports main points with logically sound reasons and/or well-chosen examples; is generally focused and well-organized; uses sentence variety and vocabulary to convey meaning clearly; demonstrates good control of sentence structure and usage but may have minor errors that do not interfere with meaning. |
|
4 & 3.5 |
Provides competent analysis of ideas in addressing specific task directions; develops and supports main points with relevant reasons and/or examples; is adequately organized; conveys meaning with acceptable clarity; demonstrates satisfactory control of sentence structure and usage but may have some errors that affect clarity. |
|
3 & 2.5 |
Displays some competence in analytical writing and addressing specific task directions, although the writing is flawed in at least one of the following ways: limited analysis or development; weak organization; weak control of sentence structure or usage, with errors that often result in vagueness or a lack of clarity. |
|
2 & 1.5 |
Displays serious weaknesses in analytical writing. The writing is seriously flawed in at least one of the following ways: serious lack of analysis or development; unclear in addressing specific task directions; lack of organization; frequent problems in sentence structure or usage, with errors that obscure meaning. |
|
1 & 0.5 |
Displays fundamental deficiencies in analytical writing. The writing is fundamentally flawed in at least one of the following ways: content that is extremely confusing or mostly irrelevant to the assigned tasks; little or no development; severe and pervasive errors that result in incoherence. |
|
0 |
Your analytical writing skills cannot be evaluated because the response does not address any part of the assigned task(s), merely attempts to copy the assignments, is in a foreign language or displays only indecipherable text. |
|
NS |
You produced no text whatsoever. |
- Flexible Organization: Organize and develop your response in any way that effectively communicates your position.
- Use Writing Strategies: Incorporate writing strategies learned in English composition or writing-intensive college courses.
- No Set Formula: GRE raters are not looking for a specific developmental strategy or mode of writing. So, you can exhibit a little innovation in terms of execution.
- Diverse High-Scoring Responses: High-scoring responses can vary widely in content and form but show similar levels of critical thinking and persuasive writing.
- Introduction Variability: High-scoring essays might:
- Summarize the position and announce the main points
- Make a prediction
- Ask questions
- Describe a scenario
- Define critical terms
- Examples: A writer can earn a high score by using multiple examples or a single, extended example.
- Paragraphs: Use as many or as few paragraphs as needed to support your argument. Create a new paragraph when shifting to a new cluster of ideas.
- Clarity Over Quantity: The clarity of your ideas and the skill in conveying them are more important than the number of examples or paragraphs.
Must Read: GRE Exam Results
The sample responses, especially those scoring at the 5 and 6 levels, showcase various successful strategies for organizing, developing, and communicating a persuasive argument. The rater commentary discusses:
- Specific evaluation and writing aspects, such as the use of examples, development and support, organization, language fluency, and word choice
- Elements that are particularly persuasive
- Elements that detract from the overall effectiveness of the essay
Read More: GRE Test Syllabus
Conclusion
To excel in the GRE Analytical Writing section, thoroughly review strategies, sample topics, sample essay responses with rater commentary, and the scoring guide. Practice managing your time effectively within the 30-minute limit for each task. Allow sufficient time to understand the issue, plan your response, compose your essay, and review for errors. By doing so, you'll be able to produce the best possible example of your writing under test conditions, enhancing your chances of achieving a high score.
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